The rail network in North America is the largest in the world, operating with the high axle loads customarily used with heavy freight hauling railways. Unfortunately, the rail network in North America is also characterized by an inordinately high number of railroad accidents and derailments; these incidents occur at a substantially higher rate in North America than anywhere else in the world.
One of the causes of this safety problem is a lack of ability in the North American Railway system to readily and efficiently evaluate the condition of the wheel profiles of the wheelsets used in the locomotives, freight trains, and passenger trains.
In a publication entitled "Economics of Wheelset Management," which was presented in June of 1994 at the International Heavy Haul Association 1994 Mini-Conference held in Omaha, Nebr., applicant disclosed that excessive wear of railroad wheelsets causes many problems, including reduction of wheelset service life, an increase in the traction power required to move the trains, the production of extremely high dynamic forces during operation, damage to the wheelsets, rails, bearings, and vehicle structures during operation, derailments, and accidents.
Those skilled in the art are aware of the need to readily, efficiently, and automatically measure the properties of wheelsets under conditions of normal operation. However, to the best of applicant's knowledge, no such process currently exists.
It is an object of this invention to provide a process for readily, efficiently, and automatically measuring the properties of wheelsets during normal operation.